KNOXVILLE – Pro2Serve, the Oak Ridge-based provider of technical and engineering services, has gifted $50,000 to the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s College of Business Administration. The gift will establish the Consortium for Business Excellence in Nonprofits as part of the social entrepreneurship mission of the Anderson Center.
Funds will be used to support research, education, and application of good business principles related to improving business practices in nonprofit organizations. According to Alex Miller, associate dean for strategic initiatives and William B. Stokely Chair in Management, Pro2Serve’s gift will have a lasting impact on the college.
“As the founding corporate sponsor for the Consortium,” said Miller, “Pro2Serve is creating a research and educational platform that the College of Business Administration will be able to build upon for years to come. The nonprofit sector is an important and rapidly growing part of our society and economy and this pioneering gift positions the school to take a much greater role in addressing the challenges and opportunities in nonprofits.”
Barry Goss, chairman and CEO of Pro2Serve and a two-time graduate of UT Knoxville, said the UT MBA program’s commitment to nonprofit projects prompted him to explore opportunities for a partnership between the college and Pro2Serve.
“Pro2Serve’s Board places a priority on supporting education and economic development,” said Goss. “Our company has supported several of UT Knoxville’s colleges over the past decade to help with a variety of initiatives. We determined that serving as the founding corporate sponsor of the Consortium for Business Excellence in Nonprofits provides an excellent opportunity for Pro2Serve to positively impact a broad sector of our nonprofit community.”
According to Miller, the impact of this gift is significant for the college and its students.
“The power of this gift is the leverage it provides,” said Miller. “Rather than making a gift to an individual nonprofit, this gift will benefit countless nonprofits who stand to benefit from our research and our students. We hope other individuals and corporations will use the Consortium for Business Excellence as a means of leveraging their philanthropic giving.”
For more information about the College of Business Administration, visit http://bus.utk.edu.
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C O N T A C T :
Meredith Hulette (865-974-7392, mhulette@utk.edu)